What is a Gold Lira Coin?
The 20 Lira Gold Coin is an attractive fractional gold bullion coin with intrinsic, historical and numismatic value. Containing one fifth of an ounce of pure gold, it remains an ideal investment choice for retirement savings, investments or coin collecting portfolios.
The 20 Lira coin features King Umberto I with a mustachioed face on its obverse, produced at various Italian mints such as Sardinia, Florence, Milan, Naples and Turin.
Weight
The gold lira (sometimes known as marenghi) is an attractive world coin that depicts Italy’s monarch on one side and their crest on the other. Each coin contains approximately 0.21 oz of pure gold, often sold at attractive premiums over spot price of gold.
Gold Lira coins make the ideal collectible item. Their condition plays a significant role in their value, so collectors tend to seek coins without scratches or damage as part of their collection.
Mints in Florence, Milan, Naples and Turin produced these coins between 1861-1923 – during Italy’s period of unification. Their obverse depicted Victor Emmanuel II – first King of unified Italy until his death in 1878 when Umberto I took his place – on their coin’s reverse face; these pieces make an excellent addition to any retirement, investment or coin collecting portfolio.
Purity
Gold coins are measured in karats, which refers to their purity. A coin with a higher karat count is generally more pure and therefore worth more; however, one with such an excessive count might not last as long due to a reduced durability rating.
This 20 Lire gold coin features a purity of 0.1867 troy ounces and legal tender in Italy with a face value of 20 lire. On one side is featured the reigning monarch at the time of mintage while the reverse shows off Italy’s coat of arms.
Gold coins are among the rarest coin denominations and thus command a higher numismatic premium. When purchasing these rarer gold coins, be sure to buy from a reliable dealer who keeps up-to-date with current gold prices and provides fair premiums; pawn shops may not always offer such services and may overcharge customers.
Circulation
The 20 Lire gold coin first saw production in Italy in 1861 to coincide with the formation of the unified Kingdom of Italy. On one side of the coin can be found King Victor Emmanuel II while its reverse features the coat of arms for Italy.
After World War I, however, its convertibility with French franc was no longer possible, leading to high inflation and rising poverty that ultimately helped Benito Mussolini and the Fascist National Party achieve power.
In 1923, the government initiated minting commemorative coins with fascist symbols on them – these included two lire buono gold pieces with fascist emblems on them and aluminium 1 and 2 lire coins featuring fascist emblems on them. Silver 500 lire coins were produced starting around 1957 for collectors due to higher bullion prices; eventually however, this series of commemorative coins would eventually give way to the euro in 1999.
Value
Gold Lira coins with sharp details and vibrant hues tend to command higher values because these coins have likely experienced minimal wear over the years.
These coins offer collectors and investors an ideal option when it comes to precious metal investment, boasting one fifth of an ounce of gold content at low premiums over spot price. Their intrinsic numismatic and historical values also play a pivotal role in their overall worth.
These coins were issued prior to Italy joining the Latin Monetary Union and aligned with gold standards from French, Belgian, and Swiss 20 Franc pieces. Their obverses featured images of Italy’s reigning monarch at their minting time while their reverse featured its coat of arms – these legal tender coins remained legal tender up until 1999 when Italy adopted the euro as their currency standard.
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